when we went out to search, we took the assets with to us ensure they were right there immediately so we could refact necessary. that is all i have as far as the details are concerned. i want to give you one more briefing, probably just before 6:00 try to get back up here for one more briefing. i'll take brief questions but there are certain things we cannot discuss at this time. sir? >> do we have anyone that survived it? >> one person was injured that suffered an injury and did survive. >> can you confirm a body in the house was adult male? >> i can't confirm. i know about the secondary scene. it didn't have time to get in detail about that. i'll try to do it for 6:00. >> i'm not confirming the identity of the shooter. we have a tentative identification. we are still working with

that. not going to put it out there. he i'll identify the shooter at an appropriate time. but for our investigatortory purposes not appropriate to do that now. >> what is happening with hoboken, new jersey, the investigation there? >> it's part and parcel of what we do. i told you we will leave no stone unturned as we look at every facet of the investigation. shooter, victims. we will look at everything. we will go in and out of state and work with the federal law enforcement, including the federal agencies if we need to, to answer every question to exactly what transpired here. a time-consuming process but we'll get it done. >> one shooter? >> yes, sir. [ inaudible ] >> it was k-4. kindergarten through fourth grade. that is the school. they were all students of the school. >> all in kindergarten?

>> i don't know the grade they were in. i don't know that. >> one class? >> one section, two classroo classrooms. >> i didn't find it out. sorry. [ inaudible ] that is the process. that is a good question. are there students unaccounted for? we had to ensure we accounted for every student in the school, that includes someone who was absent for day because of illness that didn't come to school. that is part of the process. now we have the identification process that is more difficult. it will be some time before we can give you that information. probably won't be available until tomorrow. >> can you identify weapon? >> we have seized the weapons, yes, we have. >> what kind of weapons? >> we will not discuss that. [ inaudible ]

>> we have been in contact with all the parents. we would not come up here until we have been in contact with all the parents. they have been fully informed and that's why it took so long to come up here. [ inaudible ] >> that is a good question. everyone believes that, you know, it's something that first responders do, that law enforcement does, we provided counseling for the first responders because this was a tragic, horrific scene they encountered. it's not something we want to see, not something we see every day. that is one thing we had done. the colonel made that perfectly clear that the people are to be spoken to and receive crisis counseling as required. >> lieutenant, you have to be the face -- [ inaudible ]

>> the lieutenant can tell you. a newtown officer. [ inaudible ] sure. [ inaudible ] >> the first thing i thought about was my own children. >> lieutenant george sinko. s-i-n-k-o. >> can you tell us now -- [ inaudible ] >> this is most definitely the worst thing we have experienced here in town. tragic. right now we're concerned about the family of the victims. our officers are professional and we will deal with this as well. >> do you struggle getting together as counseling session? >> the local hospital, danbury

hospital, offered their crisis intervention counselors. they will be available at reid intermediate school, on wasserman way. they are available right now if need be and they will be there all weekend. >> are there parents gathe gathering? describe that. >> the parents certainly have gathered at the local firehouse, which is adjacent to the school. we have done our best to comfort them and try to reassure them we have done everything we can. but as mentioned, it's a difficult process to confirm the status of an entire elementary school. we need to be right when we do that. >> this is healing. we have to think about the families now and do everything we can for them. >> we can't confirm any of that right now. the investigation is ongoing. >> are the parents finding out

now? >> there are still parents there, yes. i don't have a number for you. i don't have a number for you. >> when did you realize -- what the magnitude was, how long did it take you to realize the magnitude? >> minutes after our officers were there they realized what a horrific scene we had there. [ inaudible ] >> i don't have a timeline on that. the officers responded immediately. as soon as they realized what they had, we asked for all the resources we could get. >> all right. thank you. >> we're good. finish this. what we're going to do, we'll come back just before 6 of:00, because i know of you around 6:00, get back with one more briefing and then we'll do

scheduled briefings tomorrow. some of you folks look tired and i'm sure you want to get some rest. we'll see if we can give you scheduled briefings for tomorrow. okay? >> where are you? show me where. that is lieutenant paul vance of the connecticut state police wrapping up the latest news conference in the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. hard bitten officers, they're devastated by what happened when they found, when they walked in to an elementary school where at least one gunman walked in to that building and opened fire this morning. 26 innocent people are dead. 20 of them children. i'm john scott. thank you for joh joining us for the special coverage of the breaking story. this is what we know so far. it happened after 9:30 a.m. eastern time at sandy hook elementary school as classes got underway. federal law enforcement officers are telling fox news that adam lanza was found dead at the scene. his brother is in custody in

hoboken, new jersey. their mother found dead at her house in connecticut. the f.b.i. confirms two pistols and m-4 rifle found at the scene. police have been updating through the day. and much of the information has been changing frankly. three people rushed to the hospital, teacher and two children are all expected to be okay. the teacher was shot in the leg and the foot and the other children suffered nonlife threatening injury. get to scene with rick leventhal who is there and has been throughout the day. rick, describe what is going on there now. >> well, john, we had another briefing from the state police regarding what they can tell us, what they are comfortable sharing with us at this hour. remember the shooting was less than eight hours ago. the information has been changing throughout the day. but what we know now is they got a 911 call from the school, just after 9:30 this morning. newtown, connecticut police officers went to the school. immediately called for state police backup. when the rest of the officers

arrived, they didn't wait. they went inside that school looking for children, looking for adults that could be brought out of the school and brought to safety with the knowledge that there had been a shooting inside that school. officers located two rooms in one area of the school. that is where the 27 bodies, victims were found. two of the victims were children who were taken to a hospital. and died at the hospital. 18 other children dead in a classroom. five other adults dead in that school. along with the shooter. 26, the shooter. 20 kids gunned down in classroom. there was confusion initially about the identity of the shooter. i have a apparently, the shooter may have been carrying his brother's i.d. he has been confirmed to us as adam lanza. 20-year-old man from hoboken, new jersey. his brother, ryan, at that address in new jersey, taken in custody by authorities.

we are told ryan lanza questioned. adam lanza the shooter who killed himself at the scene. we are told there is a secondary scene in new newtown, connecticut, police went to the scene, went in the house. aapparently backed out and sent in a robot and located a body in that home. there is still confusion about who that person is who was locatlocated in secondary scene. we haven't been able to confirm. i've been told by sources that the mother was in fact killed. we can't confirm that is it the mother's body inside that home. the mother is a teacher. apparently that was her kindergarten class. we're hearing that the kid went to the school to target his mother and killed every single kid in her classroom. as well as other adults inside that school. horrific scene that played out in the quiet community. 60 miles east of new york city. in a very affluent community. the folks here are stunned. this isn't the thing that anyone expects to happen

anywhere, let alone here in this quiet community in connecticut. police at the school, still going through it, still processing that crime scene. it will take them days to do that. >> understandably. rick leventhal joining us live. thank you. we'll check in with you later. joining us now is brenda labinsky, the mother of a student at sandy hook elementary school. all of us as parents cannot even imagine the emotions that you went through today. how did you first get the word that there was trouble at the school? >> well, i was home, i received a school announcement call. normally we get if there is bad weather and the kids will be let out early. it's, it stated there was a shooting in newtown but didn't say the school. or if it was the school. and all schools were on loc lockdown. i didn't take it too seriously because we had something like this happen prior, but it was a shooting on the street and didn't have anything to do with the school.

but then i received a text from the a.p. that stated there was a shooting at the school. that's where my daughter giz and i dropped her off. she is in the third grade. i drove my car and saw people i knew and they were hysterical. i said what happened? >> were there police there? >> yes. the fire house is by the school and you have to pass it. the fireman was there. newtown police. organized. bringing the parents and the children in to the firehouse. all i heard was a neighbor who t and she was dead and she was hysterical. right then and there i thought oh, my gosh, my daughter! i run toward the school and i saw my daughter's friend

katie. i said where is so fphia. i said where is she? and she said she is fine. and she was with her teacher. >> that had to be a moment of immense relief. >> yes, the worst moment of my prior and the best one ever. but my heart goes out to this community, to this school. it's a wonderful, close knit school, everybody knows och other. it's very sad. >> there have been questions throughout the day as to the identity of the shooter of the ridgally it was thought to be ryan lanza. it turns out now police sayingite tess younger brother adam lanza, whose -- saying the younger brother adam lanza and the mother was teacher at the school. did you know her? >> no. never knew her. never. >> brenda, good to talk to you. i know that we are glad that

your daughter is okay but so many people are suffering tonight. our heart goes out. >> my player goes to them. thank you. >> ours as well. brenda, thank you. so 26 people dead. 20 of them young children, tragedy that will ripple for weeks and months to come. when we come back, the president speaks to the nation about the tragedy. newtown, connecticut police department received a call for help at the sandy hook elementary school here in newtown. there were fatalities. there were 18 children pronounced dead at the school. there were two that were transported to area hospitals and pronounced dead at area hospitals and six adults pronounced dead at the scene, at the school. governor's reported the shooter is deceased. >> we were just in the middle of gym when we heard some gunshots. and then the power went out and the gym teachers directed us to stay against the wall

and everybody started to kind of panic. >> we heard a lot more gunshots and the ambulance came. but then the police addressed to us run out of the building and go to thement for. the fire department. >> it doesn't seem real. it doesn't seem possible. you read it in the paper or see it in the news and you're like my god, the poor family. then something happened so close to home, it's like -- i think i'm still in shock to be honest with you. >> what has happened, what has transpired at the school building will leave a mark on this community. and every family impacted. i only ask that all of our fellow citizens here in the united states and around the world, who have already offered their assistance remember all the victim victimsn their prayers. ♪ ♪ this holiday, share everything.

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>> jon: fox news alert. massacre at an elementary school in sandy hook, connecticut. 26 people dead. 20 of them young children. president obama getting emotional as he addressed the nation this afternoon.

>> this afternoon, i spoke with governor malloy and f.b.i. director mueller. i offered governor malloy my condolences, on behalf of the nation. and made it clear he will have every single resource that he needs to investigate this heinous crime, care for the victims. counsel their families. we have endured too many of the tragedies in the past few years. each time i learn the news, i react not as a president, but as anybody else would, as a parent. that was especially true today. i know there is not a parent in america who doesn't feel the same overwhelmingly grief that i do. the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years

old. they had their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. among the fallen were also teacher, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. so our hearts are broken today for the parents, and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children. and for the families of the adults who were lost. our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know their

children innocence has been torn away from them too early and there are no words that will ease their pain. as a country, we have been through this too many times. whether it's an elementary school in newtown or a shopping mall in oregon, temple in wisconsin, movie theater in aurora or a street corner in chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods. these children are our children. we are going to have to come together to take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. this evening, michelle andly do what i know what every parent in america will do, hug our children tighter. we'll tell them that we love them. remind each other how deeply we love one another. there are families in connect who can't do that tonight and

they need all of us right now. in our days to come they need to us be at our best as americans andly do everything in my power as president to help. because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need. to remind them we are there for them, that we are praying for them. that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours. may god bless the memory of the victims. in the words of scripture, heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds. >> jon: clearly emotional president obama making a statement to the nation this afternoon. our chief white house correspondent ed henry was there. what was it like inside that room, sned

>> reporter: jon, the reporters were trying to catch our breath. we have been covering this president for four years now and never seen him get personally emotional like that. despite many tragedies. we have seen before, as he himself noted. this one hitting him and the nation perhaps a little bit harder. what you didn't see off-camera jay carney white house spokensman sitting a few feet away from me taking his eye glasses off to wipe his eyes. they have lowered the flag to half staff at the white house and boehner has done it as well. partisan of recent days may be smaller, the fiscal cliff discussions interrupted. the president has now canceled a trip he was planning to maine next wednesday he was going to pressure the republicans to support his plan. also, worth noting when the president talked there about taking meaningful action, he has been criticized from the left, after some of the other tragedies. for not getting specific. not taking action on gun control. he now laid out a promise, basically, in the remarks in

the second term he is going to, as he said, we need to come together the take meaningful action regardless of politics. the big question moving forward, though, maybe not today but moving forward will be what kind of action will it be, jon? >> jon: that is the million-dollar question. ed henry at the white house. thank you. so chaos and heartbreak in connecticut. town left trying to make sense of the horrible tragedy. ahead we'll talk to bill hemmer who is just there on the scene. >> earlier today, a tragedy of unspeakable terms played itself out in this community. lieutenant governor and i have been spoken to in an attempt that we might be prepared for something like this playing itself out in our state. you can never be prepared for this kind of incident. ♪

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>> jon: fox news alert. shock and anguish in a quiet new england town. gunman open fires in elementary school in connecticut. 26 victims killed in the school. 20 of them young children. federal officials confirming the shooter is 20-year-old adam lanza. his brother also reportedly being questioned. bill hemmer is live in connecticut where it all took place. bill? >> reporter: good evening. we were on the air on "america's newsroom" when the news crossed it 10:30 eastern time. initial report came out a teacher had been shot in the foot. we went a good stretch of time, as you recall, without a lot more information beyond that. now this picture starts to come in full view about the absolute massacre that had taken place inside of this tiny elementary school. the thing that strikes you about that part of connecticut is how beautiful it is. we're a few hundred yards from

the school. but imagine the young and 6-year-old kids, they played here. this is their playground. in all likelihood on the weekend this is where they spent time with their families. this is stunning to come to towns like these and see reaction on the faces and in the eyes of the people you come across. we are at a coffee shop down the road an hour ago. we met a woman with their two daughters. i see in their eyes. i said how are you doing? they shook their head and said we're all right. the girl said, "today is my birthday." she asked me if it was her 9/11. she turned 11 today. she was not born on 9/11. a town understandably stunned. just like the rest of the country. >> jon: you know it will be some time before they reopen the school, maybe if at all. it will be filled with

horrible memories for the children who were there. >> reporter: jon, i took a walk down there a short time ago. through the woods down the hill. this wooded area surrounds the school. it's a tiny place. kindergarten through fourth grade. it appeared to me like one single building there that was built in a square shape with a courtyard in the middle. the parking lot is not big. right now, jon, there are state troopers, and investigators and cars that filled that entire parking lot. they had mentioned earlier today that in all likelihood they would not move the bodies for some time, because they want to assess the crime scene. you can imagine how grisly it must have been as they first saw the crime scene. based on the news conference we have been given so far and tidbit of information there is so much still they do not know. >> jon: think about the

anguish for parents who know or suspect their children are still inside that school. they cannot hold them, touch them or car res them or say goodbye. not yet. >> reporter: jon, you think about christmas day, ten, 11 days from now. you know these parents already bought presents, some of them perhaps were already wrapped. now they do not have a child to give that present to. you heard the eloquent words of the president a few moments ago. that's what so many parents feel tonight. to see the kids in person. to give them a hug. to express the love they have for them and gratefulness they have to be together. during the holiday season. so many in this town do not. >> jon: newtown, connecticut, which only saw one violent crime reportedly in the last year. now this. bill hemmer on the scene. thank you very much. let's take you to new jersey now, where the shooter's

brother reportedly lived. anna live in hoboken with more. what can you tell us what is going on there? >> reporter: jon, for people who are unfamiliar with the geography of the area, hoboken is southwest of manhattan. the building behind me is where the brother of the suspect, of the newtown, connecticut, shooting reportedly did live and was taken out in handcuffs earlier this afternoon. the streets have been blocked off. cordoned off. they have police tape here, keeping the media at bay. we have spoken to police on the scene. they don't expect a lot more to be going on, although it was lot more of an active scene earlier today. there was also some preliminary confusion over the identity of the suspect in the shooting. if you will remember that, earlier today. we can tell you that 20-year-old adam lanza is dead and authorities say the brother who allegedly was

here, 24-year-old adam lanz ryaa is i custody. the home is in hoboken, new jersey, a tight knit community. they have been shaken by this. police in new jersey are also dealing with some other things, too. there are reports that ryan lanza's girlfriend is missing. another friend of his is also missing. >> jon: that is interesting given what we know about what happened at the home where the mother lives. they have not identified the person or persons found dead in the home but the police have a huge investigation ahead of them. what about the neighbors there in hoboken, what are they saying? >> reporter: they are completely shaken up, because a local newspaper earlier today $is a fluid situation. reports are coming in. they are watching it unfold just like the rest of us are. newspaper report came in someone was dead inside the home.

so, of course, the neighbors are very concerned about that. reports that the bomb squad was going through the building as well. all sorts of just terror. when they are hearing everything that happened just miles away. in newtown, connecticut. i did speak with the father of a little boy who is in day care. they were on high alert, because they are in the area and noticed the police activity. take a listen to what he has to say. >> obviously scary to see someone that can commit some act like this is living amongst you, you are walking probably in the same neighborhood. i don't know the person personally,be but obviously crossed paths from time to time. that is awful. >> the neighbors that we have spoken to are banding together and they say they will come through this stronger. no doubt has the community experienced the tragedy here lately. between the flooding from super storm sandy and now all of this. >> jon: anna, thank you. this event will rank as one of the worst school

shootings in history. harris faulkner has context and joins us now. >> absolutely. before i go to that, if you allow me to, i have been following other developments. this note in new jersey. anna was talking about how one of the brothers, ryan lanza is in custody questioned in hoboken, new jersey. in the state of new jersey, on tuesday, december 18, this coming tuesday, the governor's office says they will order flags to be flown at half staff. n recognition and mourning of the victims in newtown, connecticut. and now the context, jon, that you were talking about. there is no way to compare one heart-breaking tragedy to another. we know that. and any other way that we would do it is maybe look at the place in history. hard to concede that something could have happened worse than this scene. from april of 2007. a student killed 32 fellow students and faculty, at virginia polytechnic and state university in blacksburg,

virginia. it is still the worst single act of gun violence in u.s. history. an the only school shooting that involved more fatalities than today. for so many of us today was a reminder of one day on april 20, 1999, when the now infamous names kle became part f the american dialogue. we suffered great heartache as the two students opened fire and killed 12 other students about teacher and wounded 20 others before killing themselves at columbine high school. looking further back to history now, really the first time the nation dealt with this kind of violence on a campus. august 1, 1966, austin, texas. a university of texas student killed 16 people and wounded 32 others in and around campu campus. again today, now the second worst single day of violence at school. virginia tech massacre in 2007 remains atop that horrible

list. jon, this is not unique to our nation. you will remember you and i were on there, reporting in july of 2011, in norway, that gunman who shot and killed at least 85 people at a youth camp there. back to you. >> jon: similar events in russia as well. what would make someone want to do this? how do you help your child deal with it? dr. keith ablow joins us after the break to try to answer those questions. >> teacher, which i'm so grateful for, there was just a small group, they rushed the kids in to the bathroom and they locked the door. and they just told the children that it was hamme hammering. tried to keep them calm. the next thing i know, because it's hard to get a complete story, the next thing i know is that the police came in and

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>> jon: 26 innocent people slaughtered inside an elementary school in connecticut. 20 of them children. take you to scene now. rick leventhal is there and has new information. rick? >> jon, i have just gotten off the phone with a federal law enforcement source who has known given me the timeline of events, as the feds believe it went down this morning. 20-year-old adam lanza lived with his mother here in newtown, connecticut. woke up this morning, shot her in the face. then got in her car and drove to her school, sandy hook elementary school, where she was a kindergarten teacher and shot 26 people in that school before killing himself. 20 children were among the dead. 18 at the school, two taken to a local hospital where they died at the hospital. and six other adults killed

inside that school. then the shooter apparently killed himself. but again what i have been told is that this kid, adam lanza, 20 years old woke up this morning at his mother's home here in connecticut. shot her. then got in the car and went to the school with three weapons, glock, handgun and a rifle described as m-4 type assault rifle and shot up that school. police are at the school now. it's still an active crime scene investigation. everything has to be documented, and then the victims' bodies recovered. there is one adult recovering in the hospital. the shooter is dead. the father apparently is still alive. i shouldn't say apparently. his father i'm told is alive and is speaking to the f.b.i. at this hour in new jersey. his brother ryan also alive and coop raidin cooperating with authorities. neither person is suspected of having any involvement in this. the brother adam described as

troubled is the shooter confirmed to me by federal authorities. >> we should point out it was reported, quite widely, that the father had been killed. but as you are pointing out. >> i'm not sure where that came from. i don't know where the report came from. there were reports an active scene in new jersey. that is true. the brother is talking to authorities. adam lanza identified as the shooter. killed his mother and went to the school where she worked for no reason and slaughtered people inside. >> rick leventhal, thank you for the information, awful as it is. thank you. let's check in with dr. keith ablow, psychiatrist and medical a-teamer who joins us live from boston. you hear what happened, dock

toker and it's -- doctor, and it's conceivable. is it mental illness, sociopathic personality? what are we looking at here? looking at something deeply disturbed unfolding here, obviously. if you think about the act of walking in to a school and being undeterred, by the injuries, fatal injuries that you are inflicting on one after another child then your capacity to feel for others is entirely shattered. what we call this will be determined in days and weeks to come. was it a delusion? did this person think that by doing this, he was ridding the earth of evil? that is one kind of illness. was this person in some way devoid of empathy because of childhood events of his own? did killing his mother really play in to this because of some horrible turmoil in that family? but i will tell you this, the bottom line is that we will find out, i would predict that

there were signs. that this was a deeply disturbed person and that the signs should have or could have been taken more seriously, because we see that again and again in these instances. >> jon: but why the children? i mean, the mother wasn't even there in the room. as strange or twisted as it may sound, i could imagine going to the school if the mother was there and then the children become, you know, part of this terrible shooting gallery. but she apparently was already dead. why go to her classroom? >> it would all be conjecture at this point. speaking from a psychodynamic standpoint what you have somebody who takes his mother's life and then takes the lives mof children. were he here or could we speak to his brother we'd say i want to hear about your brother's childhood. was it marked by terrible pain? is this some kind of symbol? symbol of what he lived through? did he have it in for your

mother's job? did he feel she should have been paying attention to him? irrational but these are irrationm acts that still you can write a story that explains what has happened. once you understand how that person has been thinking. my guess is that heled some of the thoughts before this. and we've got to get very serious in the country about taking those things seriously. and knowing what to do. we have to get the word out about community mental health centers and police and the rest of it. >> jon: mental illness. dr. keith ablow, thank you. >> that's what it is. >> jon: all right my friend. we expect to hear from the connecticut police again at the top of hour. we are awaiting a news conference with the latest information. we'll have it for you live as soon as it begins. why is it that the most impressive technology

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>> jon: fox news alert, we are awaiting an hourly update on the school shooting tragedy in connecticut. we know 26 innocent people were killed, 20 inside the school. 18 died at the school. two were taken to a hospital and died there. steve, a former police detective, a school security expert joins us now. how do you stop something like this? >> we have to review the current system. it's not working.

we are putting this in the brains of individuals, to commit these crimes. our educational institution, at this level with children that young are soft targets. every school across america is a soft target. we need to revamp the system. if we have to put a police officer in every school, we need to do that. we need to train our teachers. they are the first line of defense. we need them to step up and answer for the young children. older people, we can tell them. but the children have seen dozen of fatal shootings, none of them real. they are occurring on tv. they haven't got the concept. it's many years before the effects set in on them. >> the shootern't go in a police department, doesn't go to a military base. he goes to where there are absolutely unprotected individuals, unable to fight back. >> cowardly act. educational institutions are set up so this type of thing can occur. we have seen this time and time again. the school teachers, educators, right now it's not on their mind. it's not on their mind that

they will have to go to school and defend themselves and the children's lives. >> the website said they lock it down at 9:30. the shooting happened at 9:40. maybe a slight slip in brothers and maybe not. apparently the shooter was a son of one of the people. probably familiar with whoever operates the buzzer to let them in. >> and a soft target, such as the school, i would imagine that if you really want to get in, you are going to get in. more security, more techniques, it's got to be evaluated. it will have to be at the higher level. put together a panel of experts review this over one period. this report is going to be extensive. >> jon: i believe it was former new york city mayor rudy giuliani said even if you have armed guards at the school you'd probably wind up driving the suspect to some other place, where there are no armed guards tox a shopping mall or a public park or something like that. >> what you might do if you had an armed security law

enforcement professional i would say that would engage him, it would give notification to the school and we could protect our children. lock down, get the doors locked. you can't, i don't care how powerful the weapon you have, you won't shoot a lock off the door. shut the doors have the bar interior, keep the kids on lockdown up against the wall. lights off. move to another classroom. the more time we have, the more time to get law enforcement there, when the seconds count it takes us minutes to get there. >> jon: i remember being on the air in the 9/11 attacks thinking this is a day that everything change changes in ths country. it really did. you look at creation of tsa and the wars that came after. is this event something that is going to bring about monumental changes, whether they are effective or not, in school security? >> i am hoping that it is. i believe it is going to prompt some changes; is such as, 9/11. i am feeling the emotional effects of what i felt on 9/11. it spent a week down there. it will profit change. just like we had very lengthy

study, with virginia tech. this is also -- they will be there for a long time and they may never go back and open the school up. >> jon: but the world has always known mad men. if there are always mad men in the future, they will always find a way to inflict carnage, are they not? >> beyond comprehension, beyond eel. we can learn for it. yes, they will. if we protect ourselves. reason, our schools, educators are the first line. if we don't have the law enforcement there. every school across the nation has policy in place. not good enough. it needs to be improved, revamped and improved. we have can't let it happen again. >> jon: but that is easer is said than done, isn't it? >> i know. it's not a solution that will occur overnight. lengthy solution over time. there will probably be more mass shootings between now and

when we find a better way. >> jon: you can't put police officers full-time around the clock in every school in america, can you? >> we have some schools that do that. who would think newtown, connecticut, suburban community. >> jon: one violent crime in the last year, we're told. >> we aren't prepared as a society to deal with carnage. we are not prepared to deal with this type of violence. when it happens, what happens, most of the people freeze. look at the subway killings. the people had no clue what they should have done in new york city. >> yeah. >> jon: just so our viewers know we are still waiting a news conference expected now at the top of the hour. from the state police in newtown, connecticut, where the terrible shooting happened. they have been updating reporters fairly regularly throughout the afternoon. after a morning in which there was precious little information about what happened there. the early reports indicated that three people might have been shot and taken to the hospital. but that there was no indication that bloodbath was

as severe as it was. so if you were running things at that school, steve, what do you do when it finally opens up presuming it does again? >> believe your eyes and ears but when you hear gunshots or if you see -- i can't comprehend he wasn't at some point observed by someone walking in to that school. >> yeah. >> calling an alarm. believe eyes and ears. if you hear gunshot run from the carnage. the fatality did occur in one classroom. disturbing as this is. >> jon: that i believe is richard blumenthal, the former attorney general in connecticut who arrived at the podium. the others, i'm not familiar with at this point. we are also expecting that we will hear something new from police about this incredible tragedy. once again, 20 children murdered in their classroom. six adults as well. we are going to continuebe to bring you